Look. It happens. As much as we don’t want our kids to face bullying, it happens each and every day. The only hope we have for our children is to prepare them the best we can. This may not seem like something you have to worry about when you have a young child, but children are bullied at all ages. As dads, our response may be to teach our kids how to fight. But we know, deep down, that’s not the answer. Obviously, we want our kids to be able to defend themselves, but we also want them to be able to handle bullies that haven’t reached a violent level. Let’s look a bit closer at how to deal with bullies.
How to Deal with Bullies
Teach Your Child a Confident Stance
Something that can help prevent your child from being a target is for him to look confident. As men, we know that confidence is key in many situations. You want your child to always carry his head held high and to look people directly in the eye. It may seem like a simple thing, but it can make a big difference.
Instruct Your Child to Hang with Friends
Children in groups are less likely to get bullied. Bullies obviously don’t want to go after someone who has backup. If your child rides a bus to and from school, have him sit with his friends. When playing at recess, also make sure he sticks with his friends.
Tell Him to Walk Away
It may be tempting for your child to talk back to the bully or do something else that will encourage future bullying. Instead, tell your child to walk away and find a teacher to explain the situation to. If the teacher doesn’t listen, you need to get involved and have a talk with the teacher and the child’s parents.
Practice What to Say
Another way to help your child with a bully is to practice a script. You want your child to be able to say something that won’t provoke future attacks. It can be something as simple as, “Whatever.” Or it can be something like, “You’re being mean, and people aren’t going to want to be friends with you if you continue to act that way.” You don’t want your child to result to name calling.
Coach Your Child to Be Unbreakable
Last, but not least, teach your child to not be bothered by what others say. When your child ignores a bully’s comments or doesn’t show any sign of being bothered, the bully will move on. This can be hard to teach a child but can make a world of difference.
Bullying isn’t just a problem for teenagers. Kids in elementary school also face dealing with kids that can be jerks. Thankfully, we can teach our children how to cope. The earlier you teach your child how to deal with bullies, the better chance they have at surviving future bullies. Bullying has become an epidemic and parents need to take a stand to help stop it.